119-HR-301 DC Insider Whip Count Analysis

Bill basics

Sponsor: Rep. Celeste Maloy (R‑UT). Purpose: require Interior to approve or deny geothermal lease–related applications within 60 days after completing all applicable federal reviews; litigation alone can’t stall processing absent a court order; no change to courts’ authority. [2]Library of Congress — H.R. 301 — Introduced text (PDF) | Congress.gov

• Number/title: H.R. 301 — Geothermal Energy Opportunity Act (GEO Act). [3]congress.gov
• Committee of referral: House Natural Resources. [3]congress.gov
• Cosponsors: 6 total (4 R, 2 D): Lee (D‑NV), Begich (R‑AK), Harder (D‑CA), Stauber (R‑MN), McDowell (R‑NC), Fulcher (R‑ID). [4]Library of Congress — H.R. 301 — Cosponsors | Congress.gov
• Recent movement: Full committee markup held March 5, 2026; package moved by unanimous consent; Daily Digest notes markup on H.R. 301 among others. [1]U.S. House Committee Repository — House Natural Resources Committee — 3/5/26 Fu…
• Administration posture: BLM/Interior testified they support H.R. 301. [5]U.S. Department of the Interior — DOI/BLM testimony on pending geothermal bills…

Breakdown: expected support by party/caucus

Focus: public positions, committee action, leadership control, and recent caucus behavior on geothermal/permitting bills.

• House Republicans: Broadly favorable. The bill is a Natural Resources majority priority and advanced by unanimous consent at full committee. With Republicans holding the House narrowly, leadership can move a narrow, non‑NEPA‑altering permit‑timelines bill without heavy GOP defections. [6]House Committee on Natural Resources — Westerman confirmed as Chair, 119th Cong…
• House Democrats: Select moderates likely yes (two are already cosponsors). Committee Democrats highlighted a bipartisan geothermal package at the 3/5 markup. Expect New Dems/Western Ds to provide votes if the measure stays scoped to post‑NEPA timelines and preserves court authority. [4]Library of Congress — H.R. 301 — Cosponsors | Congress.gov
• Senate Republicans: Environment/energy leadership is predisposed to advance geothermal streamlining; ENR is chaired by Sen. Mike Lee; GOP controls the floor via Majority Leader John Thune. [7]U.S. Senate — Senate Committee on Energy & Natural Resources — membership (119t…
• Senate Democrats/Independents: Several are publicly advancing geothermal facilitation (e.g., Cortez Masto, Hickenlooper) even amid broader permitting fights. Expect a bloc of pro‑geothermal Ds to back a narrow House bill if it reaches the floor. [8]Office of Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto — Cortez Masto press release — bipartisan…
• Institutional context: Republicans control both chambers; margins are narrow in the House, so leadership tends to favor consensus energy items. Majority Leader sets Senate floor time; the House Speaker and Rules/Suspension track are the House bottlenecks. [9]Congressional Research Service — CRS: Membership of the 119th Congress: A Profi…

Key legislators and swing votes

• House — Core coalition: Sponsor Celeste Maloy; Chair Bruce Westerman (committee agenda control). Their markup moved 3/5 by UC, signaling bipartisan comfort with the text as framed. [6]House Committee on Natural Resources — Westerman confirmed as Chair, 119th Cong…
• House — Needed Democrats: Existing D cosponsors Susie Lee (NV) and Josh Harder (CA) are likely floor yeses and potential validators to attract more moderates. [4]Library of Congress — H.R. 301 — Cosponsors | Congress.gov
• House — Committee Democrats: Ranking Member Jared Huffman touted the bipartisan geothermal slate on 3/5, indicating openness if the bill stays scoped. [10]Office of Rep. Jared Huffman — Huffman press release on 3/5/26 markup (bipartis…
• Senate — Gatekeepers: ENR Chair Mike Lee and Ranking Member Martin Heinrich; both have engaged on geothermal/permitting in this Congress, suggesting committee runway if the House bill is narrow. Floor control rests with Majority Leader Thune. [7]U.S. Senate — Senate Committee on Energy & Natural Resources — membership (119t…
• Senate — Likely cross‑party votes: Catherine Cortez Masto (D‑NV) has introduced geothermal permitting streamlining; John Hickenlooper (D‑CO) is pushing bipartisan geothermal legislation; Lisa Murkowski (R‑AK) consistently backs geothermal expansion. These are the kinds of Democrats/Republicans who can anchor a UC or voice‑vote path. [8]Office of Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto — Cortez Masto press release — bipartisan…
• Allies outside Congress: ClearPath Action is actively promoting H.R. 301; industry testimony/letters (e.g., at House hearings) back the approach; Interior/BLM support is a strong executive‑branch signal. [11]ClearPath Action — ClearPath Action — GEO Act (H.R. 301) explainer

Leadership influence and procedural dynamics

• House: Speaker Mike Johnson’s office controls floor time; for a narrow, bipartisan resource‑permitting bill, the cleanest path is Suspension of the Rules (2/3 threshold) if counts are solid, or a structured rule from Rules if amendments are needed. Majority’s committee posture and the 3/5 UC markup point to leadership comfort. [12]U.S. House of Representatives — Speaker of the House — official site (Mike John…
• Senate: Majority Leader John Thune can hotline a narrow, low‑controversy measure for UC or seek time agreements. The ENR chair’s receptivity to geothermal/permitting sets up a favorable committee runway; the main constraint is floor bandwidth and avoiding linkage to broader, contentious NEPA fights. [13]U.S. Senate — Senate Majority/Minority Leaders — 119th Congress

Assessment: whip outlook and timing

Bottom line from a vote‑count and process lens.

• House vote outlook: Strong. Bipartisan UC at markup, two Democratic cosponsors, and supportive testimony from BLM/Interior point to a high‑margin vote under Suspension if scheduled in the June work period. [1]U.S. House Committee Repository — House Natural Resources Committee — 3/5/26 Fu…
• Senate vote outlook: Moderately favorable. GOP floor control plus pro‑geothermal Democrats (NV/CO/NM) create a path via UC or short time agreement if the House‑passed text stays narrow. Floor time and potential cross‑pressures from broader permitting fights are the main variables. [13]U.S. Senate — Senate Majority/Minority Leaders — 119th Congress
• Timing: With committee action complete and executive‑branch support on record, the near‑term House window is the next stretch of floor days; Senate movement would likely follow on a non‑controversial calendar if no extraneous riders attach. [15]GovInfo (GPO) — Congressional Record Daily Digest — March 5, 2026

Source notes

Core references used for positions, status, leadership control, and stakeholder posture.

• Bill text/status/cosponsors: Congress.gov H.R. 301 pages (text, actions, cosponsors). [2]Library of Congress — H.R. 301 — Introduced text (PDF) | Congress.gov
• Markup and committee movement: House Committee repository (3/5/26 markup agenda/action) and Congressional Record Daily Digest noting the markup. [1]U.S. House Committee Repository — House Natural Resources Committee — 3/5/26 Fu…
• Administration position: DOI/BLM testimony supporting H.R. 301 (Dec. 16, 2025 hearing). [5]U.S. Department of the Interior — DOI/BLM testimony on pending geothermal bills…
• House committee/majority posture: Westerman retains chair; committee communications on geothermal docket. [6]House Committee on Natural Resources — Westerman confirmed as Chair, 119th Cong…
• Senate control and gatekeepers: Thune as Majority Leader; ENR chaired by Mike Lee. [13]U.S. Senate — Senate Majority/Minority Leaders — 119th Congress
• External validators: ClearPath Action explainer supporting H.R. 301; Senate geothermal push from Cortez Masto and Hickenlooper. [11]ClearPath Action — ClearPath Action — GEO Act (H.R. 301) explainer